Replace all Cabin Widows (May 1994)

The original plexiglas cabin windows (lites) were trimmed with a plastic ring and mounted to the hull with sheet metal screws. The plastic ring was about one inch wide and served to hide the view of the white hull below the plexiglass. The rings and lites were, faded, scratched and cracked.

We replaced them with 3/8 inch thick acrylic panels. A black paint masking, about one inch wide, was applied to the inside surface of the new lites to hide the hull color, caulk and the inside wood trim. 3M Press-In-Place™ caulk was applied to the inner surface of the paint line.This caulk seals against leaks between the lite and the hull as well as around each of the screws. All of the holes in the new lites were drilled in the original locations so that the old mounting holes in the hull could be used. The holes in the lites are drilled to fit the aluminum-tube spacers which surround each screw. The spacers are slightly longer than the thickness of the new material. to prevent over-stressing of the plastic. The spacers are also slightly over size to allow for thermal expansion.These windows seldom leak and when they do, it is quickly cured by a little tightening of the screws. The lites are now 20 years old!

{Lessons learned:

1. Do anything that you can to prevent little leaks into the boat interior because they are really annoying.
2. Do not attempt to control leaks by smearing “goop” around the window, it never will work.
3. Again, look at all alternatives and consider the aesthetics.}